Hempcrete or hemcrete has been used as a building material for a long time. It has been recently popularized in several European countries. Traditionally hempcrete has been cast to form monolithic wall structures, much like poured concrete. Hempcrete has always been a mixture of hydraulic lime, hemp shiv (or hurd), and water. Cast, monolithic walls must be allowed to dry out until moisture content is below 20% in order to be finished and usable.
Currently, hempcrete as a material being used one of two ways. One way is by being cast into forms on site to construct monolithic wall structures of hempcrete around a timber frame. The hempcrete has to be left to dry for 6-8 weeks before it is finished, delaying construction. There are also currently hempcrete blocks that are being used with both built in wood framing and without wood framing. These blocks are simply rectangular in shape and are deficient in the way that they either do not take the place or insulation and structural loading fully, or they cannot be used between traditional wood lumber framing to provide sufficient compressive strength.
Another shortcoming of traditional hempcrete in general is the necessity to use hydraulic lime to ensure a quick set in order for the hempcrete to maintain its shape. Further, no current hempcrete product has any material that allows retaining shape and structural strength. No current hempcrete panel also incorporates the use of horizontal wood support in order to increase racking and transverse load strength.